Lycanthropy

A howling call is heard across thatched rooftops, summoning the pack to assemble. Below, a man tears his clothes as moonlight shines down on him. The hunched figure screams in pain, begging his family to run. With muscles bursting and razor-sharp claws forming, his transformation is underway.

Rain pours through the forest canopy as a woman falls to her knees in exhaustion. Unable to run further, she accepts her fate and awaits the monsters of the dark. Instead, she hears a thunderous roar as a hulking figure tears through the undergrowth with impossible strength. The hulking, bear-like figure then turns to the woman and grunts, 'Are you lost?' offering a paw in aid.

Lycanthropes may appear to be ordinary humanoids, but behind the veneer of humanity there is a pivotal struggle between beast and man. For most, it is a matter of time before they lose this fight and transform into monstrous hybrid, half-animal and half-humanoid. Most Lycanthropes recall very little of their time transformed, often waking in a strange location, covered in blood and tattered clothes. However, as ome Lycanthropes grow, they learn to balance both natures, using their curse as a gift.

Transformation

When you suffer Lycanthropy, you can also gain some benefits from this transformation. If you don't met prerequisites, you suffer only negative effects.

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Strength 13 or higher.
Transformaton Save DC: 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier.

Transformation Level 1

Starting at 1st level of your transformation, you gain the following benefits and flaws.

Hybrid Transformation

As an action, you may transform into a monstrous hybrid: half-beast, half-sentient. While in your hybrid form, the following rules apply:

• Your ability to speak is reduced to short, basic, guttural responses.
• You can't cast spells while in Hybrid Form.
• Your stats remain the same as your humanoid stats.
• Any armour you are wearing merges into your Hybrid Form and re-emerges when you end the transformation.
• While transformed and not wearing any armour or using a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Constitution modifier + your Dexterity Modifier.
• While transformed you can use weapons and equipment as normal, unless specified elsewhere.
• Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 instead and are slashing damage instead of bludgeoning damage.
• When making the attack action you may substitute one attack to make an unarmed bite attack. If the attack hits, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier. If you make a bite attack, you cannot make another until the beginning of your next turn. If the attack hits, the target must make Constitution saving throw against your Transformation DC or suffer the same lycanthropy as you do.
• If you made the attack action, as a bonus action you may make an unarmed claw attack or bite attack, provided you have not already used your bonus action.

Your hybrid form lasts for number of hours equal to your Constitution modifier ( minimum of 1) and ends early if you are knocked unconscious or reduced to 0 hit points. You can end your Hybrid Form by using an action.

Shapechanger's Form

Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1. An ability score cannot be increased beyond 17 this way.
Your creature type is also Shapechnager in addition to any other creature types you are, Spells and abilities that affect Shapechengers of a specific CR have no effect on you.

Lust for the Hunt

The savage nature of your curse sometimes causes you to lose control. These ferocious tendencies are a constant struggle between you as a humanoid and the beast within. If you are in the light of a full moon while in Your Hybdrid Form, you automatically fail control over yourself. While in light of the full moon, you suffer following:

• You must move toward the closest creature you can see, smell or hear, prioritising helpess creatures. If you end your movement and creature is not within 5 feet of you, you must use your action to dash toward one.
• If there is a creature within 5 feet of you and you have not used your action, you must make a melee attack against it, prioritising helpess creatures.
• If you made a melee attack against a creature and that creature is still alive, then you must use your bonus action to make an unarmed claw or bite attack against the same creature.

Additionally, if you are subjected to a light of full moon you must succeed at a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or automatically turn into your hybrid form and cannot transform back until dawn. If you succeed in this saving throw, you are immune to tits effect for 24 hours.

Transformation Level 2

Starting at 2nd level of your transformation, you gain the following benefits and flaws.

Iron Pelt

While in hybrid form, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage to non-silvered, non-magical sources.

Hunter's Howl

While in your Hybrid Form, you can use a bonus action to let out a loud howl and mark a creature within 60 feet of you as your prey. A creature remains marked this way for 1 hour or until it dies. While a creature is marked as your prey, you gain the following benefits:

• Whenever you hit the marked creature with melee attack, you deal an additional 1d6 damage. This damage is the same type as the attack.
• You have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to track your prey.

You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expedended uses of this feature upon a short or long rest.

Kindred Form

You gain the ability to transform into the animal form representative of your Lycantrophy type, known as your Kindred Form. You can only transform into the kindred form representative of your Lycanthropy. Each Kindred Form gains the following rules:

• You cannot speak.
• You cannot take any action requiring hands, except your Transformation capabilities.
• You can use only unarmed claw and bite attacks.
• You automatically succeed at all saving throws relating to the Lust for the Hunt flaw.

Bear

• You can speak and understand other bears.
• When you make any saving throw, you can add your Constitution modifier to the result.
• Your hit point maximum increases by your Constitution modifier times your proficiency bonus.

Wolf

• You can speak and understand other wolves.
• When making an attack against a creature, if an ally is within 5 feet of that creature and not incapacitated, you have advantage on that attack roll.
• Your speed increases by 20, to a maximum of 60.

Raven

• You can speak and understand other ravens.
• You gain fly speed of 50 feet.
• You can mimic any simple sound you hear. They can roll against your Transformation DC a Perception check to recognize its fake.

Silver Sensitivity

You have developed a debilitating sensitivity to asilver. While in your Hybrid or Kindred form, you have vunerability to sivlered weapons. In addition, you cannot have resistance to attacks made with a silvered weapons.

Transformation level 3

Starting at 3rd level of your transformation, you gain the following benefits and flaws.

Titanic Vigor

Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to twice your character level, and it increases by 2 every time you gain a character level.

Predatory Leap

Your jump distance is doubled.
In addition, in hybrid form, if you jumped more than 5 feet and land within 5 feet of a creature, you can immeditely take the attacka ction to attack that creature. On a hit, the target must make a Strength saving throw or become prone on a failed save. You can decide to automatically grapple the target if they fail their save.

Bestial Savagery

You have embraced the animalistic side of your transformation. While in your Hybrid Form, you gaint he following benefits:

• Your unarmed attacks deal 1d8 slashing damage and are considered magical attacks.
• Your AC increases by 1.
• You are immune to the charmed condition.

Fraying Memories

You have begun to suffer the effects of sharing a mind wiith two personalities. Memories of less practical significance have been lost to new ones of midnight hunts. You have disadvantage on Intelligence ability and skill checks. Your Intelligence score also reduces by 2.

Transformation level 4

Starting at 4th level of your transformation, you gain the following benefits and flaws.

Savage Instincts

You have developed and unreleting thrist for bloodshed and carnage. While in your hybrid form, if you hit a creature with and unarmed attack, and it is missing any of its hitpoints, the base damage die increases to 1d12.

Kindred Affinity

You have reached true harmony with your Kindred Form, achieving a state of peace most Lycanthropes never find. You gain the following benefis while in your Kindred Form:

• You can speak.
• Friendly creatures within 20 feet of you have advantage on Wisdom ability checks and saving throws.

Unstoppable Rage

You have become a visage of unkillable carnage and slaguhter even other Lycanthropes fear. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, and you are not killed outright, you are not knocked unconscious. You can take your future turns as through you were not at 0 hit points and are affected by all spells, abilities and features as normal. While you have 0 hit points, taking damage causes death saving throw failures as normal, and three death saving throw failures can still kill you.

Predatory Nature

You have begun to realise the true cost of your transformation. The beast within has gained more control of your body than you have. While you can control it at times you know it cannot be contained forever, and when it breaks free, it will delight in any slaughter it can fight. You gain the following features:

• If you can see, hear or smell a helpless creature, you gain disadvantage on all Wisdom saving throws.
• At the beginning of your turn, if you can see, hear or smell a hostile or helpess creature, you must succeed a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be transformed into your Hybrid Form. If you succeed this saving throw, you become immune to this effect until dawn.
• Whenever you kill a creature and you are in your Hybrid Form, you cannot transform back into your humanoid form until dawn the next day. Although you can transform into your Kindred Form.
• You have permanent features of the Lycanthrop type you have, such as: hairy hands, head of that given animal, claws instead of fingernails, etc.

Transmission & Vectors

There are three methods of contracting the Lycanthropic curse. 

1. The first is being bitten by a Lycanthrope and not curing the curse before it takes hold.
2. The second is to complete a druidic ritual known as the Lunar Sacrament.
3. The third is being born as one. If your both parents are Lycanthropes, you are also one.  If only one of your parents is Lycanthrope, you will be Shifter.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Rare